


Reminiscence

by PseudoNoiz



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Childhood Memories, Gen, Protective Siblings, Reminiscing, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-04 13:33:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4139487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PseudoNoiz/pseuds/PseudoNoiz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noiz's first birthday after the events of the main story trigger nostalgic memories of birthdays past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Inception

**  
NOIZ 5, THEO 3**

 

“You look pretty, brother!”

Tiny hands raised to tug on the hem of his vest, a messy grin plastered on Theo’s face as he looked up at his older brother. Noiz turned to look at himself in the mirror once again. He looked like a doll, dressed in stiff, over-starched clothes far too tight for any normal five year old. He was starting to get uncomfortable and hot, the charcoal suit unforgiving in the near-summer heat. Grimacing at his reflection, Noiz took Theo’s hand and went to find their mother for a final once-over before guests started to arrive.

“Mama, we’re ready!” he called, knocking lightly on the door.

She called them in, cooing as she picked Theo up and inspected him closely.

“My what handsome young boys I have! You’ll surely make a good impression tonight. Be sure to be on your best behaviour, Wilhelm. I want you to be the perfect gentleman.” She said sternly.

Noiz nodded along, answering obediently when prompted. This wasn’t his first social party; he had been through the drill before. When his mother finished her own preparations, they were ushered to the garden to welcome guests. Soft, green grass waved invitingly in the breeze as windchimes of various sizes created a beautiful symphony. Theo gasped excitedly, pointing at all the different coloured flowers he could see. They each got balloons attached to their wrist with their names on them, making the children readily identifiable and impossible to misplace. Other balloons floated under the canopies or anchored to tabletops, intertwining with the criss-crossing streamers in their path. His parents had managed to tone it down slightly this year, it seemed.

Soon enough, cars started pulling up the drive. Women stepped out delicately as the valet held the door open, expensive jewellery glittering in the afternoon sun. They would link arms with their partner, who would dismiss the staff pompously. Some would arrive with children of various ages, all wearing their family’s best in order to impress the other attendees. They trickled into the garden, greeting their hosts pleasantly with large white smiles and even bigger compliments. The guests’ children received balloons similar to those Noiz and Theo wore while their parents placed gifts on a decorated table set towards the edge of the garden. Rather than being allowed to play with each other, however, each of the children stayed with their parents, as they circled the garden and mingled with the other families and couples.

“Happy birthday, Wilhelm!”

“You look so handsome, just like your father!”

“Oh, but you have your mother’s beautiful eyes. They must be so proud of you,” the adults would say.

They wouldn’t stop pinching his cheeks and ruffling his hair. They would treat Theo the same, cooing over how he would be such a strong, smart man when he grew up. The boys would each have to smile and thank the adults, playing the roles of perfect high-society children during the party. Once they had finally spoken to each guest at least once, Noiz and Theo were told to go play with the other children while the adults could mingle more freely.

“Wilhelm, remember what I told you. Be good, don’t get in trouble. Show the other children a good time and keep an eye on your brother.” His mother said, dismissing them.

Noiz gave in to the persistent tugging at his sleeve. Theo ran excitedly towards the flowers, holding his brother’s hand tightly as he sniffed them each in turn. Other children joined them, reluctantly leaving their parents’ side to explore on their own. There was little for them to do; they were forbidden from doing anything that would make them dirty or cause a disturbance.

Eventually they decided, with a group of other children, to play hide-and-go-seek in the yard. The number of flower bushes, balloons, tables and chairs made for plenty of obvious hiding spots. Noiz, since he was the birthday boy, was designated as the first ‘it’. He sheltered his face with his arms resting against a large apple blossom tree, counting slowly to thirty. Once he had finished his counting, he began his hunt. He found Theo almost immediately, hiding among the leaves of his favourite flower bush from earlier. He found a young girl using balloons as a cover, her tiny hands gripping the curled ribbons a giveaway to her location. A pair he found perched on chairs under a table laden with dainty sandwiches. So far he had found four of the six children hiding. The remaining two weren’t as easy. If he could recall correctly, there was an older girl and a boy whose face was stuck with an expression that looked like he had just stepped in something foul.

After some legwork, he found the girl tucked in the corner where the fence met the house; a dark and dirty crevice that would offend typical members of so-called high-society. She gave him a cocky grin when he found her. He finally found the last boy, and so began several other rounds of their game. Noiz was almost able to forget his position and play with them just like any other child would. They did the same, not caring about how they interacted with each other during their games.

Noiz thought his current choice of hiding spot was particularly clever. He was sure Kasimir, the snotty boy who was the current ‘it’, wouldn’t think to search for him near the presents. From the cover provided by colourful wrapping paper and shiny bows, he could see some of the others poking their heads out from their own spots as they tried to monitor the movements of their captor. Emera, the older girl, had returned to her spot in the corner that Noiz had had difficulty finding. Theo had enveloped himself in the canvas of one of the canopies, relatively easy to see should anyone look his way. Noiz knew that wherever Leonie and Lorah were, they would still be hiding as a pair. Finally, he could hear, rather than see, the faint breathing of the small mousy girl Adali under his table. While he waited to be found, he rehearsed their names repeatedly, knowing that his parents would later make sure he had learned them all.

After all, this was a party, his father would say, but it was also an important opportunity to learn the names and faces of other wealthy families that could one day become potential business endeavours.

Minutes passed. He waited. He watched as Kasimir paced around, checking and rechecking the same spots that were obviously empty. He had chosen a good spot. Even the girl under him hadn’t been found yet. The boy stopped pacing. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out.

“I’m done! Come out!”

Noiz started to clamber down from the table, rubbing his sore knees as he sat up. Adali had crawled out from under the table, and he was just about to follow after her when he heard the snobby boy laughing.

“You fell for it! You’re out now.”

When she protested, he denied having given up, getting angry that she wouldn’t comply with his self-proclaimed victory. Noiz pushed himself to his feet and went up to them, trying to calm their fight.

“Kasimir, you’re not being fair. Please don’t be mean to everyone because you lost the game.” Noiz said, his arm extending slightly to cover the girl behind him, placing himself between them. He tensed as the other boy inched closer to him.

“What’s unfair? You fell for the trick, that’s your problem,” Kasimir said angrily, pushing Noiz by the shoulders.

“You think you get to have your way just because it’s your birthday.”

The shove forced Noiz to step back, but he managed to avoid getting knocked over. He turned and told the girl to go get his parents and get away so she didn’t get hurt. With that, she hurried off. As Noiz went to follow her, he was yanked back by his shirt. He stumbled a few steps, tripping as Kasimir stuck his leg out. Noiz looked up, angry, before quickly getting to his feet.

“What was that for, you big idiot?” He yelled, bracing himself as the other boy tried to lunge towards him.

Noiz moved out of the way quickly, pushing the boy’s back and sending him toppling towards the ground.

“You think you’re so perfect and better than everyone!”

Kasimir started to cry, loud, exaggerated wailing that grated on Noiz’s ears. The adults all rushed towards the sound, one of them being towed by the little girl Noiz had sent off. Before either of them could act, however, a woman came charging through the gathering, plastering the bratty boy with lipstick-marked kisses and cooing shrilly.

“What happened, baby? How did you get hurt, angel? Tell mummy, would you, dear?”

Noiz could see him mumbling into her neck as she held him close, rocking him like a baby.

“You disgusting, spiteful, demonic child!”

The next thing he knew, there was a crack and searing pain across his cheek.

He crumpled to his knees, all air stolen from his lungs. He felt hot tears welling in his eyes, and after a moment, he let out a choked sob. His cries came unbidden, tears streaming down his rosy cheeks. He could hear voices but couldn’t make them out. Noiz was left to wallow only a few moments before being whisked away, a hand clamped over his mouth, snuffing out his pained voice.

When he was released, he found himself in his room. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks, leaving tiny tracks in their wake. His crying had calmed to a slight whimper and occasional hiccoughing as he looked into his father’s unreadable face.

“Wilhelm. What the hell have you done? What did we tell you? How dare you!”

“But Papa, he picked a fight with me first and his mama, she –”

“It doesn’t matter. You need to act proper, no matter the circumstance. That is what it means to be part of this family. It does not hurt. Stop your crying and go apologize, Wilhelm. Do not make us lose face.”

                            “Yes, Papa. You’re right, _it doesn’t hurt_.”


	2. Conception

**NOIZ 8, THEO 6**

 

He inhaled deeply, fingers threading through stalks of lush green grass, nails scraping the underlying earth, and let himself breathe. It was only here, among the sweeping leaves and flowers of the family’s garden, that he could feel relaxed enough to be himself, to think freely and peacefully. Noiz opened his eyes slowly, blinking at the harsh sunlight, and took in the familiar sight of the well maintained flowers. The cool hues of the sweet peas to his left seemingly faded as white habenarias loomed overhead, looking for all the world like birds in flight. As Noiz shifted his gaze to his right, they took flame in bright bursts of orange lilies, their burning petals ruthless and all-consuming. His eyes finally settled on the pride of his family, his parents’ favourites, the tiger lilies, which seemed to him the core of the garden’s flame.

He could still see patches of upturned earth, flowers slightly out of place, their delicate leaves bent or even torn from yesterday’s events. Another year, another ridiculous social party meant to celebrate his birthday. He groaned to himself, the mere thought of social niceties and false pretenses making his stomach churn uncomfortably. A nearby rustling caught his attention, and he stilled in hopes of getting to see one of the many inhabitants of the surrounding forest. Other than the beautiful garden, one thing Noiz enjoyed about the expansive plot of land his parents owned for their ridiculously large house was that it was isolated amidst mossy green trees that were home to all sorts of creatures: birds, deer, rabbits, squirrels and a number of other small animals. A small lump of sandy brown fur poked its head out.

“Brother? Oh, there you are!”

Not a rabbit after all. Theo straightened up and approached him, wiping his hands on the shorts of his sailor outfit before plopping unceremoniously on top of his brother. Noiz made no effort to acknowledge his younger sibling except to card his fingers through the pale blonde locks that curled across Theo’s forehead. It was incredibly soft, weaving across his palm like silk. If he were to pet a bunny, Noiz thought, it would feel much like this.

After a long moment of silence, Noiz spoke. Not expecting any particular response, but rather to organize the whirlwinds of thoughts that scrambled his mind. He spoke of bright colours turned grey, laughter and shrieks of joy tuned out by incessant static. Moments he used to find fun and exciting turned to dread and disappointment.

“I don’t understand, Theo. Why do Mama and Papa care so much about what other people think? Everyone gets so excited for holidays and birthdays, but I hate them. We don’t have fun and play together. Mama and Papa make us be fancy and quiet. They only care about showing off to other people. They say we are the best when they talk to other people, but they don’t say that to us. Papa is always telling me to be like the other boys. You’re my only real friend, Theo, because I don’t have to pretend around you.”

By the time he had finished speaking, Noiz had small tracks clear of dirt curving down his cheeks from crying. He had, at some point, shifted his free hand to rest on his brother’s back in a comforting embrace.

“Brother, you didn’t like your birthday?” Theo asked, his head tilting up to peer at Noiz’s face.

Noiz shook his head, knowing his brother would see the response. There was another long pause as they lay in the garden together, each deep in their own thoughts.

“We can redo it!” Theo exclaimed, effectively pulling Noiz out of his inner monologue.

The small blonde jumped up to his feet, tugging enthusiastically on his brother’s hand as he headed back towards the house. Noiz ambled along behind him, knowing that he would get no answer to any questions he might have, and that it would be better to just wait and find out. Eventually they arrived in the kitchen, its sleek black countertops and cabinets spotless. It was just after lunch, so the kitchen staff had finished their work for the time being and wouldn’t be back for a couple of hours. Theo let go of Noiz’s hand, who hopped onto a stool under the kitchen island while his brother rummaged around, clattering as he went. The countertops gradually became more cluttered; bowls of various sizes lay piled on one side while milk, eggs, flour, sugar, and other ingredients were arranged in some sort of organized mess on the other.

“Aren’t you going to ask Theo what he’s doing, brother?”

He caved.

“What are you doing in here, Theo?”

“I’m going to bake brother a cake!”

For all his enthusiasm and excitement, Theo’s skill was a little more than lacking. He refused Noiz’s help and didn’t want to rely on recipes because they wouldn’t be special enough. By the time the cake made it into the oven to bake, the cupboards were dusted white and eggs lay cracked and liquefied on the floor. Theo himself looked a different person, hair clumped and matted in places where batter-covered hands tried to sweep it away, face and clothes dirtied by the cocoa in the mix. But above and beyond anything else, the grin he wore was unlike any he had worn before, brimming with pride and a deep fondness.

Noiz insisted they spend the rest of their time cleaning the mess that had been made. While the staff would deal with it without a single complaint, he knew their parents would be told and they would be punished for being in the kitchen. So they hid their tracks as best they could. Theo had had issues removing the cake from the pan and had made the icing too runny, but after a two seemingly endless hours, the cake was apparently done, cooled and freshly slathered with sweet icing.

Noiz was made to sit in the garden and wait for his younger brother to bring the cake out. When he did, Noiz made sure to savour every detail. It looked, by any cake’s standards, awful. But to Noiz, who had watched his most important person work so hard and with such happiness, it was perfect.

“What is it?” He questioned.

The lumps of cake had been arranged into some sort of shape; one large lump with two branches of smaller lumps sticking from the top.

“A bunny! A bunny cake!” Theo exclaimed, flashing a toothy grin.

Noiz took the plate from his brother, as well as the proffered fork. The cake was soft as he dug the fork in, lifting it to his mouth. Theo’s eyes never left his face as Noiz took his first big bite.

It was horrible.

Noiz gulped it down and coughed, eyes watering. It was a sticky consistency and tasted more salty than sweet. He quickly shovelled as much of the cake into his mouth as he could, trying to swallow without tasting. Theo’s expression quickly went from excited to horrified.

“Brother, no! Let me have some!”

Once the cake was as good as gone, Noiz lay back, breathing heavily. He shot his younger brother a sheepish grin.

“Sorry, Theo. It was just too good, I couldn’t stop myself.”

“Was it that good?” Another smile.

“Yeah, it was. I’m sorry I couldn’t share.”

“Ah… That’s okay brother! We’ll just have to do it again next year!” Theo’s grin stretched wider, his whole face illuminated with happiness.

So they did. The following years occurred much the same: a pompous, over-glorified party with the other upper-society families followed by Theo’s replacement cake the next day. After the first time, Theo was no longer allowed to bake the cake without the supervision of at least one of the kitchen staff, but was at least not denied the cake altogether. They weren’t allowed to interfere with the actual preparation of the cake, because Theo insisted that it be completely made by him for his brother. As the years progressed, the cakes got slightly better. Noiz’s younger brother gained better understanding of how cakes were made, but mostly improved how the cake looked. He kept the bunny theme for the rest of the birthdays, as a memento to their first cake together. Theo believed that Noiz had always associated him with bunnies, and would therefore always remember his little brother with these cakes.


End file.
